IN YOUR OPINION

Letters to the editor for Aug. 29, 2013

Published: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 9:45 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 9:45 p.m.

Defund Obamacare

To the Republicans in Congress, you should stop with the false rhetoric! Put effort into defunding "Obamacare." On multiple occasions following the last election, mealy-mouthed Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others in your party publicly vowed to repeal "Obamacare" and to make jobs a high priority. You knew then that in the unlikely event you garnered Senate support, it would not survive a presidential veto.

Now, you can defund it. Those who suggest you can't because it would shut down the government are being patently dishonest. The initiative put forth by your gutsy colleagues is to approve the continuing resolution but refuse to approve any part of the resolution that would fund "Obamacare." Clear, clean and effective.

Those who understand what's coming in this monstrosity realize it will be a downward spiral for health care recipients, further strain a teetering financial system and exacerbate the longest-running high unemployment rates in history. Small businesses and corporations are reducing staff and moving full-time employees to part-time status. How's that for the jobs you were going to promote?

An informed public recognizes a complete lack of leadership in the White House. It's time to demonstrate leadership and promote the initiative set forth by some of your braver colleagues. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to represent the will of an American public that overwhelmingly wants "Obamacare" gone.

Failure to give your earnest support to this defunding effort will bring further destruction to a nation already on it's knees and likely sound the death knell for the Republican establishment. The American people are watching and waiting for your leadership. Please do the right thing.

Austin Leahy

The Villages

Quit placing blame

I am so sick and tired of people thinking everyone owes them. Case in point:

For the school board in Florida that stopped courtesy busing due to budget cuts and the parents who say the school board is making their 5-year-olds walk to school at 6:30 a.m.: Well, what are the parents doing at 6:30 a.m. that they can't take their kids to school or a day care? Carpool, folks. Take your day of the week and help those little ones yourself. They are your kids, after all.

To the people in the neighborhood saying the city needs to do something about the squatters and deteriorating homes in their neighborhood: Folks, the city doesn't own those homes nor do they have money to take care of those homes. Put in a civil suit against the homeowners and mortgage holders, people, not the city.

People, think once in a while before placing blame where it does not need to be placed.

Margery Shipp

Ocala

Is it a fair tax?

If our cumbersome IRS tax code is replaced with a national consumption tax — such as the FairTax — Americas' economy will begin to improve dramatically. The way the FairTax is structured, everyone pays their fair share.

The FairTax is a progressive tax. Those Americans who earn more pay more. Americans at or below the poverty level would receive a "prebate" from the government, which cushions them from incurring any federal tax.

FairTax bills (H.R. 25, S. 122) are currently before Congress. One aspect of the bills is the elimination of the dreaded IRS. But since Congress is generally not responsive to the wants and needs of Americans, the FairTax bills will require your unending pressure to get it through Congress. Please visit www.fairtax.org to get more information.

Regardless of the misinformed and misleading statements you may hear, FairTax is unquestionably a fair tax.

Joe O'Hara

Ocala

Syria's WMD

I guess maybe President Bush was right all along. Old Saddam of Iraq outfoxed us. He sent all the weapons of mass destruction to Syria, and now Syria is using them on its own citizens.

Can you believe that the mainstream media, with all their intelligence, have not figured that out yet? Just one admission that President Bush was right would be one "I told you so."

Now, what will the present administration do with Bashar Assad of Syria? President Barack Obama said: We just have to wait and see who carried out the orders to use the gas. Was it Assad, or a general in his army, or one of his cabinet members or a disgruntled housewife?

I guess something will come up to take the attention away from Syria and Assad, such as undocumented workers getting huge refunds from the IRS and not paying in.

Maybe the prophet Jeremiah was right 2,600 years ago when he prophesied Damascus "the city of gaiety" will lose it's gaiety and become a place of gloom and despair. (Jeremiah 49:24)

Frank Hogan

Marco Polo Village

Editor's note: The following letter is being republished due to an error in the original, which ran Saturday, Aug. 24.

Wound care not new

I read with interest your recent article on the opening of Munroe Regional's new Wound Care Center, in which a representative of MRMC commented that "there's a definite need for this in the community."

It's possible this person didn't realize that our community has had access to exceptional wound-healing treatment for quite some time. For the past 17 years, Ocala Health's Wound and Hyperbaric Center, now located in the Paddock Park Business Center, has been treating residents in Marion County and beyond with exceptional clinical outcomes.

There are also several physicians in the area who already render wound care services in their practices.

We are fortunate to have so many options for this important medical service.

<p><b>Defund Obamacare</b></p><p>To the Republicans in Congress, you should stop with the false rhetoric! Put effort into defunding "Obamacare." On multiple occasions following the last election, mealy-mouthed Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others in your party publicly vowed to repeal "Obamacare" and to make jobs a high priority. You knew then that in the unlikely event you garnered Senate support, it would not survive a presidential veto.</p><p>Now, you can defund it. Those who suggest you can't because it would shut down the government are being patently dishonest. The initiative put forth by your gutsy colleagues is to approve the continuing resolution but refuse to approve any part of the resolution that would fund "Obamacare." Clear, clean and effective.</p><p>Those who understand what's coming in this monstrosity realize it will be a downward spiral for health care recipients, further strain a teetering financial system and exacerbate the longest-running high unemployment rates in history. Small businesses and corporations are reducing staff and moving full-time employees to part-time status. How's that for the jobs you were going to promote?</p><p>An informed public recognizes a complete lack of leadership in the White House. It's time to demonstrate leadership and promote the initiative set forth by some of your braver colleagues. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to represent the will of an American public that overwhelmingly wants "Obamacare" gone.</p><p>Failure to give your earnest support to this defunding effort will bring further destruction to a nation already on it's knees and likely sound the death knell for the Republican establishment. The American people are watching and waiting for your leadership. Please do the right thing.</p><p><i>Austin Leahy</p><p>The Villages</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Quit placing blame</b></p><p>I am so sick and tired of people thinking everyone owes them. Case in point:</p><p>For the school board in Florida that stopped courtesy busing due to budget cuts and the parents who say the school board is making their 5-year-olds walk to school at 6:30 a.m.: Well, what are the parents doing at 6:30 a.m. that they can't take their kids to school or a day care? Carpool, folks. Take your day of the week and help those little ones yourself. They are your kids, after all.</p><p>To the people in the neighborhood saying the city needs to do something about the squatters and deteriorating homes in their neighborhood: Folks, the city doesn't own those homes nor do they have money to take care of those homes. Put in a civil suit against the homeowners and mortgage holders, people, not the city.</p><p>People, think once in a while before placing blame where it does not need to be placed.</p><p><i>Margery Shipp</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Is it a fair tax?</b></p><p>If our cumbersome IRS tax code is replaced with a national consumption tax — such as the FairTax — Americas' economy will begin to improve dramatically. The way the FairTax is structured, everyone pays their fair share.</p><p>The FairTax is a progressive tax. Those Americans who earn more pay more. Americans at or below the poverty level would receive a "prebate" from the government, which cushions them from incurring any federal tax.</p><p>FairTax bills (H.R. 25, S. 122) are currently before Congress. One aspect of the bills is the elimination of the dreaded IRS. But since Congress is generally not responsive to the wants and needs of Americans, the FairTax bills will require your unending pressure to get it through Congress. Please visit www.fairtax.org to get more information.</p><p>Regardless of the misinformed and misleading statements you may hear, FairTax is unquestionably a fair tax.</p><p><i>Joe O'Hara</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Syria's WMD</b></p><p>I guess maybe President Bush was right all along. Old Saddam of Iraq outfoxed us. He sent all the weapons of mass destruction to Syria, and now Syria is using them on its own citizens.</p><p>Can you believe that the mainstream media, with all their intelligence, have not figured that out yet? Just one admission that President Bush was right would be one "I told you so."</p><p>Now, what will the present administration do with Bashar Assad of Syria? President Barack Obama said: We just have to wait and see who carried out the orders to use the gas. Was it Assad, or a general in his army, or one of his cabinet members or a disgruntled housewife?</p><p>I guess something will come up to take the attention away from Syria and Assad, such as undocumented workers getting huge refunds from the IRS and not paying in.</p><p>Maybe the prophet Jeremiah was right 2,600 years ago when he prophesied Damascus "the city of gaiety" will lose it's gaiety and become a place of gloom and despair. (Jeremiah 49:24)</p><p><i>Frank Hogan</p><p>Marco Polo Village</i></p><p> </p><p><i>Editor's note: The following letter is being republished due to an error in the original, which ran Saturday, Aug. 24.</i></p><p><b>Wound care not new</b></p><p>I read with interest your recent article on the opening of Munroe Regional's new Wound Care Center, in which a representative of MRMC commented that "there's a definite need for this in the community."</p><p>It's possible this person didn't realize that our community has had access to exceptional wound-healing treatment for quite some time. For the past 17 years, Ocala Health's Wound and Hyperbaric Center, now located in the Paddock Park Business Center, has been treating residents in Marion County and beyond with exceptional clinical outcomes.</p><p>There are also several physicians in the area who already render wound care services in their practices.</p><p>We are fortunate to have so many options for this important medical service.</p><p>Joan E. LeBel</p><p><i>Vice Chair, Board of Trustees</p><p>Ocala Health</i></p>